United States, Italy lend support for French in Mali

From Nima Elbagir. Ingrid Formanek and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

Updated 2327 GMT (0727 HKT) January 23, 2013

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Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers transport in a pickup truck a dozen suspected Islamist rebels on Friday, February 8, after arresting them north of Gao. A suicide bomber blew himself up on February 8 near a group of Malian soldiers in the northern city, where Islamist rebels driven from the town have resorted to guerilla attacks.

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Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians look at the charred motorcycle used by a suicide bomber before he blew himself up near a group of Malian soldiers on February 8. The act marked the first suicide attack in the embattled west African nation since the start of a French-led offensive to oust the Islamists from Mali's north, where they had controlled key towns for 10 months.

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Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A convoy of French army vehicles head toward Gao on February 7. France is mulling over when to hand off its four-week-old intervention to U.N. peacekeepers.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man searches through the ruins of a building destroyed by French airstrikes in Douentza, Mali, on Tuesday, February 5. The town was retaken by French and Malian troops in January.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A child holds up a machine gun round found in the ruins of a building destroyed by French airstrikes in Douentza, Mali, on February 5.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A child leads a donkey cart past a destroyed Malian army armored vehicle near Douentza, Mali, on February 5.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians welcome France's President Francois Hollande as he arrives in Timbuktu on Saturday, February 2. French-led troops are working to secure the area against Islamist militants.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man sweeps the red carpet at Mali's Mopti airport on January 2 before the arrival of Hollande and Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers patrol next to the Djingareyber mosque, on January 31, in Timbuktu, Mali. The city was recaptured on January 28, by French-led forces in their offensive against Islamist rebels who have been occupying Mali's north since last April.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French air strikes destroyed this vehicle outside the northern Malian city of Gao.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Men play boules, a game that was forbidden under Islamist rule. on January Wednesday, 30, in Gao, Mali. Gao, once a key Islamist stronghold, was retaken on January 26 by French and Malian troops.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier tries to disperse looters in Timbuktu, Mali, on Tuesday, January 29. Malian and French forces have been battling Islamist militants to loosen their grip on the country. France was the colonial power in Mali until 1960.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – People cheer along a road in Ansongo, a town near the northern Malian city of Gao, as troops from neighboring Niger enter the city.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man waves a French flag as residents celebrate the arrival of Niger troops on January 29 in Ansongo.

Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers enter the historic city of Timbuktu on Monday, January 28.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers flying back from Timbuktu arrive at the French army base camp in Sevare on January 28.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man prays in the recently liberated town of Douentza on January 28.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Wounded Malian soldiers rest after receiving medical care at the Polyclinique of Kati on Sunday, January 27.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers wait at a checkpoint near Sevare on January 27.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier walks through the bush in central Mali on January 27.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers wait at a checkpoint near Sevare on January 27.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier stands amid debris Saturday, January 26, in the key central town of Konna, which has been under French and Malian army control since last week. It was taken on January 11 by Islamist groups.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers walk past the bullet-riddled wall of a house in Konna on Saturday, January 26.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier looks at the wreckage of an Islamist rebel's armed pickup truck in Konna.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Ammunition lies on the ground in Konna.

Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers patrol a street of Diabaly on January 26.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Ali Ag Noh, right, stands with his family in front of his house on Friday, Janurary 25, in the village of Seribala, Mali, after his cousin and brother-in-law, Aboubakrim Ag Mohamed, and a cattle rancher, Samba Dicko, were shot dead on January 24, allegedly by the Malian Army. According to Noh, Mohamed, a Tuareg, and Dicko were shot in the head in Seribala after being accused by two Malian soldiers of being Islamists or aiding Islamists.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Members of the French army arrive at a base camp in Sevare, Mali, on January 25. French and Malian troops advanced on the key Islamist stronghold of Gao after recapturing the northern town of Hombori as the extremists bombed a strategic bridge to thwart a new front planned in the east.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers ride a motorcycle in a street of Merkala, on Thursday, January 24, 2013 as the first of the 6,000 troops pledged by African nations to support France started heading north.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier armed with a machine gun watches a herd of cattle crossing a bridge over the Niger River on January 24. Mali's military offensive against militants controlling the northern half of the country has gathered pace in the past two weeks, with backing from France and other international allies.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French army convoy travels near Segou, in south-central Mali, is on its way to Diabaly on January 24.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A woman who fled northern Mali sits at a camp for internally displaced persons in Sevare on Wednesday, January 23. The EU announced 20 million euros of extra humanitarian aid to help Malians fleeing fighting, its second such donation in as many months.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A soldier rides on the back of a scooter outside Diabaly on January 23.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians walk past a destroyed truck mounted with a machine gun on Tuesday, January 22. The truck was used by militants and destroyed during airstrikes by the French air force.

Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers walk past destroyed army barracks as they patrol in Diabaly on January 22, 2013.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier mans his post on January 22 near the city of Diabaly, Mali.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier stands guard in front of charred pickups used by Islamist rebels in Diabaly, Mali, on Monday, January 21. The Malian military says it has gained control of the town of Diabaly, a key advance in the battle against Islamist militants in the north.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier walks past a army building that was taken by the jihadists before being destroyed during aerial bombing in Diabaly on January 21.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier searches through debris after aerial bombing in the city of Diabaly on January 21.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier looks around after arriving in Diabaly on January 21.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers unload military equipment from an aircraft on January 21.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian youths look on as French soldiers drive through Niono on Sunday, January 20.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – The French Army conducts operations in Mali on January 20.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier holds a machine gun on top of a jeep on the road back from the town of Mopti, Mali, on Saturday, January 19.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers of the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment stand with their equipment in front of a helicopter on January 19 at an airbase near Bamako, Mali. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on January 19 that France now had 2,000 troops on the ground in Mali as part of a drive against Islamist militants holding the north of the country.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers of the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment relax on January 19 at the airbase near Bamako.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier from the helicopter regiment stands guard at the airbase on January 19.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers check the identity of passengers in a bus coming from Mopti on January 19.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French President Francois Hollande, left, speaks with soldiers who are due to leave for Mali, during a meeting in Tulle, France, on January 19.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers sit in a truck on their way to Niono, Mali, on Friday, January 18.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian child looks out from a bus as Malian army soldiers check vehicles and passengers in the city of Niono on Friday, January 18. Malian troops, with help from France and a U.N.-mandated African force, are fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers man a checkpoint in Niono on January 18.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Togolese troops board a plane to Bamako, Mali, on Thursday, January 17, at the Lome airport in Togo. Troops from West African countries are heading to Mali as part of a U.N.-mandated African force to fight the insurgents.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Helmets belonging to soldiers of the Nigerian army are prepared to be sent to Mali at the Nigerian army peacekeeping center near Kaduna, Nigeria, on January 17.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers stand guard as Mali's President Dioncounda Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako, Mali, on Wednesday, January 16.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier adjusts his weapon as President Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako on January 16.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French army soldiers stand on armoured vehicles as they leave Bamako and start their deployment to the north of Mali as part of the Serval operation on Tuesday, January 15.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French flag is hung on a van in Bamako as French troops start a deployment in the north of Mali on Wednesday.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French troops prepare their Sagaie armoured all terrain vehicles from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French troops from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, arrive at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday to reinforce the Serval operations, before their deployment in the north of Mali.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian police patrol in the capital of Bamako on Sunday, January 13.

Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A British army Boeing C-17 cargo plane from British Brize Norton base lands Sunday at the Evreux military base in France to take supplies to Bamako.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers prepare cargo for a British plane en route to Bamako on Sunday at the Evreux military base.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French armored vehicle rolls onto a British army aircraft to be taken to Bamako on Sunday in Evreux.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Workers adjust chains on a vehicle load in the C-17 in Evreux on Sunday.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Internally displaced Malians from Timbuktu chat at a makeshift cafe in Bamako on Sunday.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French President Francois Hollande, right, speaks with members of Malian associations in France during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Sunday.

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Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Muslim men protest French military action in Mali outside the French Embassy in central London on Saturday, January 12. About 50 Muslim protesters gathered outside the embassy.

Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – The interim president of Mali, Dioncounda Traore, speaks after a ministerial Cabinet meeting in Bamako on Friday, January 11. Malian authorities declared a state of emergency throughout the country on Friday as the army launched a counteroffensive against Islamists who were pushing south.

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Story highlights

U.S. military planes airlift French troops and equipment to Bamako

Italy's parliament approves logistical support and military trainers

Dozens of French armored fighting vehicles head toward northern Mali

Malian forces recaptured the towns of Diabaly and Douentza on Monday

International backing for French forces battling Islamist militants in Mali gathered momentum Tuesday, as U.S. military aircraft flew French troops and supplies into the African nation and Italy's lawmakers voted to lend support.

The U.S. mission began Monday with two flights and is expected to continue for several days, U.S. Africa Command spokesman Chuck Prichard told CNN from Stuttgart.

U.S. C-17 planes are taking off from southern France loaded with French cargo and dropping it off in the Malian capital, Bamako, he said.

The U.S. support is at the request of the French, who intervened in Mali 11 days ago after a plea for help from its government.

The French are involved in the fight because Mali once was under the country's control, and because Islamists have been threatening to turn the once-peaceful democracy into a haven for international terrorists.

Italy's lower house of parliament approved sending 15 to 24 military instructors who will work alongside the European Union in training Malian forces. It also agreed to provide logistical support to include at least two cargo planes. The time frame for Italy to provide the assistance is not yet decided.

Unrest, tension continue in Mali

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Leaders from several other countries have already offered troops or logistical support. Canada and Britain are deploying military transport aircraft, while Nigeria is set to deploy soldiers as part of the U.N.-mandated African force to fight the insurgents.

Meanwhile, the battle continues to push back rebel forces on the ground.

On the road between Segou and Bamako on Tuesday, a CNN crew saw a large column of French mechanized infantry barreling toward northern Mali.

Dozens of armored fighting vehicles packed with supplies appeared headed for the front line of the battle against Islamist fighters.

On Monday, Malian forces recaptured the central town of Diabaly, as well as the town of Douentza, to the northeast, from al Qaeda-linked rebels.

A spokesman for the Malian military told CNN it had won control of the latter without the aid of French air support.

In his address to the United Nations Tuesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "political, security and humanitarian efforts" are needed to meet the challenges faced by Mali.

"Working with African and international partners, we must do our part to help fully restore Mali's constitutional order and territorial integrity," he said.

"Meanwhile, we continue to work toward an integrated strategy for the Sahel region that would address the mix of extremism, poverty, drought and governance challenges that is causing such profound misery and dangerous insecurity."

Sahel is the area along the southern edge of the Sahara.

Monday's military gains for Malian forces came as the government extended the country's state of emergency for another three months.

"This advance by the Malian army toward the cities held by their enemies constitutes a certain military success for the Bamako government and for French forces, who have intervened in support of these operations," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

He stated his "total confidence" in French forces in a mission that "aims to restore sovereignty to Mali on its territory and to prevent the risk of the constitution of a terrorist sanctuary in the heart of Africa."

France currently has 2,150 soldiers on Malian soil, with another 1,000 troops supporting the operation from elsewhere, the defense ministry said.

Between 700 and 800 African troops from Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Burkina Faso have arrived in Mali, according to U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. Senegalese troops and up to 2,000 from Chad are on the way, she said.

Journalists are still barred from traveling into northern Mali, which has been under the control of militant Islamists for several months.

But the CNN crew was able to enter Diabaly on Monday, where it was told by Malian and French forces that Islamists left after they were hit directly in one of their makeshift camps by the French and Malians.

The scene after one battle included burned-out armored vehicles and a truck that at one point belonged to the Islamists.

A Malian officer, Col. Seydou Sogoba, told CNN that the Islamists were using sophisticated weapons like he had never seen before. He believes they originated in Libya.

As the news crew drove into town, the dusty streets in the extremely poor area were mostly empty except for military vehicles and French and Malian troops. Whatever trucks had belonged to the Islamist rebels were bombed and burned out. Destroyed high-caliber weapons were seen in the vehicles.

A French colonel, exhausted from fighting and who wished not to be named, told CNN that foreign fighters -- including some who are Algerian -- had been pushed out of the area.

Sogoba told CNN the fight against the rebels was very hard, but he is focused on "preserving the national integrity" of Mali.

French President Francois Hollande has said that if his country had not intervened, Mali "probably would have fallen into the hands of terrorists."

French involvement began the day after militants said January 10 that they had seized the city of Konna, east of Diabaly in central Mali, and were poised to advance south toward Bamako.

Ethnic Tuaregs who had returned to Mali well-armed from fighting for late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi staged a military coup last year against the Malian government. Islamic extremists capitalized on the chaos, carved out a large haven in Mali's north and imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law. The Islamists banned music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television. They also destroyed historic tombs and shrines.

Those events stoked fear among global security experts that Mali could become a new hub for terrorism.

Because Algeria has closed its borders, people in the north are increasingly heading to the desert, where they will face harsh conditions and struggles over food and water with limited humanitarian assistance, the group said.

"They cannot stay where they are due to the grave insecurity caused by the conflict," said Sebastian Albuja, head of the center's Africa and Americas Department. "Yet the meager resources and the diminished coping abilities of the government and humanitarian actors means that they are faced with limited options."

Many are fleeing on foot because they can't afford boats or buses, Albuja said, and even if they do make it, they get there only to find the roads blocked.

The violence could soon displace up to 700,000 in the country and around the region, said Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the United Nations' refugee agency.